My son also takes melatonin. He takes 5 mg mainly because that's the dose available in a strawberry flavored melt-away tablet at Wal-Mart. I once bought some chocolate ones at Target that were only 3 mg but he didn't like the taste.

Another thing that works for my son is the relaxing bath salts by Village Natural Therapy. We use all of them at various times but I would recommend the Restless Nights to you. It comes in salts or foaming bath oil.

http://www.thevillagecompany.com/therapyrestles...

I feel for you. Sleep deprivation is not fun for you or for your child. My grandson, who is diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome and is also pretty high functioning, has had sleep issues since he was an infant and he's now four and a half. I still have to lay down with him at night and he awakens very easily when I try to leave the room. I feel that most of this is related to the sensory issues and so try to do things to calm him before bedtime. I'm very aware of the
level of stimulation he is exposed to beginning in the late afternoon. I try not to take phone calls after about 5:00 since that breaks the routine and he ramps up when I'm on the phone. Routine, of course, is critical so we have a fairly strict evening schedule beginning with dinner followed by a warm bath followed by spinning in an office chair(he chooses the number of spins which is usually around 70 times) followed by a set number of runs across the bedroom where he can slam himself into the side of a soft bed followed by rocking on a rocking horse and then quiet play activities together ( building blocks, lacing cards, puzzles etc). All of this before we head down the hall for bed. Once in the bedroom I read several favorite books and folow it by rocking in a rocking chair while listening to some quiet lullaby tapes. I also have found the white noise from a cool mist humidifier helps calm him and blocks out any noises that might be distracting. It sounds like a lot - and it is - but it's also very precious personal time with him. .

During the day I try to provide him with lots of activities to meet his sensory processing disorder (SPD). He takes a private swim lesson once a week, a group tumbling class once a week, and has Occupational Therapy once a week for the SPD. We also have a basket of sensory tools such as soft brushes, battery operated massagers, tactile feelies and stretchies, etc) and we try to brush him a few times a day. We also bought a small enclosed trampoline for Christmas that he can jump on whenever he wants. That gives him the vestibular and kinesthetic feedback he craves. We try to get him outside in the yard as much as weather permits and have emphasized gifts that meet his sensory needs such as the YBike, the plasma car, an outdoor tree swing, and a dirt pile with lots of digging tools.

Has your daughter been evaluated for SPD yet? If not, I highly recommend that you find a pediatric OT who is certified in SPD. I've learned a lot of techniques through her? As you can see, we are pretty focused on his sensory issues and have put a lot of resources and energy into meeting those needs since we feel that those sensory weaknesses are a huge part of the problem. Check out a catalogue called Fun And Function. Lots of sensory tools you can use. They have weighted blankets which help some children at night

I also purchased a visual schedule through Mayer Johnson recently and he seems to be benefitting by it. It's on a magnet board with daily activities listed under the headings of morning, afternoon, and evening. It helps him to predict his day including the evening routine.

Some thought on the bowel issues. One of my adult sons had a severe problem with constipation which initially started due to a diet that did not have enough fiber in it. This was 35 years ago and fiber was hardly even talked about back then. Anyhow, he began holding because he developed a fear around painful bowel movements and with good reason. He was so impacted a few times that Ihadto take him to our local Children's Hospital ER in extreme stomach pain. Tat kind of bowel impact ion can actually be very dangerous so don't let it go. They ended up having him seen by a pediatric gastroenterologist who placed him on a regimen of medications that he had to take for years along with a strict diet that excluded cheese, bananas, and apples. The medication that he took daily was a stool softener named Colace accompanied by a liquid called Kondremul (not sure of the spelling). Te Kondremul had mineral oil in it to help "grease the pipes" so to speak so there was less pain and he couldnt hold it back. That holding can become chronic and is as much psychological as physical so it needs to be nipped in the bud (or butt if you will...) Hope you dont mind a little humor. pOnce kids have a few painful bm's they often develop fissures around the rectum that hurt a lot and can't heal if the cycle isn't broken. This routine helped tremendously. Talk to your doctor and check out the medications I mentioned. They used to be available over the counter.

Long response, I know, but I hear your frustration and have traveled a similar road. Good luck to you and your daughter.

Hope all is improving since your post. Probiotics have improved lots, including constipation and tantrums at night. Let us know how things are going.

Miralax is definitely the way to go. She may sleepbetter once that is fixed she may sleep better. Acting out at bed time is a normal kid thing but with our kids you really have ro set a rroutine and stick to it. Some tough love and sticking to it will fix things. My ped and neurologist said to use benadryl at bed time is the best. You can conrtoll the dose. Melatonin tablets are not regulated so doses can very per tablet. As my son has gotten older and our routine has been set. Les benadryl is needed. Hope this helps. I always try what any parent of a non autistic kid would do first then twik it to fit my son.

My son when he was a toddler had the same problem when he was a toddler. It turned out it was a medical condition he had. Mirlax is great to use for constipation and can be used in any of her favorite drinks. Our sleep issue was the worst we started laying with him so he could sleep but what worked with us we would massage his back until he fell to sleep. Massages would ease his uncomfort he was having for being constipated. Now he is 10yrs old but still has constipation issues but he knows to help his issues always advise us.